Monday, May 8, 2017

By: R. Kaeru(Originally published at Techlens, republished on The Information Station with prior permission of the author and site owner.)

Secrecy is the strength of the DPRK government and its activities which is an integral part to North Korean and Kim Jong-un’s plausible deniability in the international community on their activities and intent, and against the national civilian population north of the 38th parallel. Authoritative governments use propaganda to develop an idealized image of leadership (e.g. revolutionary leader and father figure) whereby the DPRK is unique because it only promotes the nepotistic Kim family and its hereditary lineage. As part of IO psychological operations (PSYOP) aims to induce or reinforce, inform and influence a target audience’s attitudes and behaviors favorable to the sponsor’s objectives. The use of propaganda has maintained the nation-states internal and external status quo. Therefore, control of information is North Korea’s only true power. The type of information portrayed in PSYOP and propaganda is usually truthful but can be fabricated. PSYOP tasks include development, design, production, distribute, disseminate, and evaluation or ‘equity review’ for measures of effectiveness as a continuous cycle. Most PSYOP activities are at the Operation and Tactical Levels; Strategic Level elements target economic, political, information, and military infrastructures as strategic communications and public diplomacy. More specifically, the DPRK’s Strategic Level PSYOP campaign appears to focus on strategic communications and public diplomacy; although, the DPRK focuses its Operational Level PSYOP to hide its nuclear proliferation activities. Operational and Tactical level PSYOP is critical in the short term but the Strategic Level is the long term battle.

PSYOP Analysis: Strategic Communication

Analysis of open source information (OSINT) on the DPRK and Kim Jong-un reveals clear patterns in Strategic Level PSYOP activities. The DPRK is successful in hiding much of the government’s intent and nefarious activities to the international audience through strategic communications(STRATCOMM) and public diplomacy (PUBDIP). We will discuss each one separately and provide dialog for critical thinking. Another clear pattern the DPRK exhibits is that the STRATCOMM and PUBDIP are polar opposites. For example, DPRK STRATCOMM is aggressive in nature whereas its PUBDIP is passive and conformative. On one hand, the DPRK and Kim Jong-un employ STRATCOMM through a single authoritative channel which gives the illusion that all information is legitimate. Humans naturally identify “truth” with authority and will have a sense of duty to conform to that authority. The DPRK and Kim Jong-un historically attempt to portray the nation as a strong independent but dangerous nuclear state from which the world should listen to and give them what they want. They also wish to create a world image that they are a formidable democracy and superpower which rivals all other democracies in the international community; more specifically, the United States, Western Europe, and Russia. Changing the nation-state’s name to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in 1948 and establishing elite titles to government officials such as Eternal President, Supreme Leader, Supreme People’s Assembly, and Premiers, are key to the DPRK’s PSYOP campaign in establishing authority. The Country is neither a democracy nor a republic where the people have the power. A central theme to the PSYOP campaign in their military objectives is the government’s Juche ideology, established by Kim Il-sung where the key components include strength, revolution, independence, self-reliance, and self-defense.

In particular, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) is a pipeline for DPRK and Kim Jong-un’s PSYOP campaign. STRATCOMM originate through this channel systematically and aimed at their targets. A comprehensive analysis from dozens of KCNA articles between 2010 and 2013 revealed patterns in the DPRK’s PSYOP campaign. As mentioned previously herein the use of specific language to describe the U.S. and its allies was a factor. One common theme was the use of the word puppet and ‘marionette’ to manipulate an image of U.S. control over South Korean government. Other language targeted the U.S. as the imperialists. A recent report ties the U.S. and ROK together as enormous ‘nuclear’ ‘forces’ which are ‘north-targeted’. This article mentions the continued Joint U.S.-South Korean naval exercises. In this article puppet was mentioned 3-times, warwas mentioned 7-times, nuclear references were mentioned 3-times, north-targeted 2-times, and concludes that the reasoning for the allied exercises is allegedly in response to the DPRK’s hardliner on strengthening its economic infrastructure through pursuing its nuclear independence. Peripheral reports from outside organization analysis confirmed specific changes in patterns or confirmed others. For example, on one hand the DPRK threat rhetoric escalated for the first time in March 2010 to its use of “nuclear strikes” against U.S., ROK, and their allies to prevent collapse of the regime. On the other hand North Korea limited its outside contacts when the state shut down a South Korean financed resort company in Mount Kumgang despite during internal domestic need. This event indicates a real warning of crisis which could have been stopped by the highest bidder. DPRK PSYOP seeks to create specific negative images of the U.S.-ROK relationship, deflect national attention from humanitarian crisis, and keep open relations with natural enemies to the United States.

A peripheral influence which the DPRK and Kim Jong-un may be affected by is a social proof weapon-of-influence employed by the ROK government. Looking for one specific piece of information could satisfy their intrinsic prejudice to confirm what they want to perceive, even if it is not the truth. Propaganda seeks to exploit this phenomenon through various communication channels. For example, while South Korean officials promote their independence and sovereignty to handle to DPRK issues, North Korea may be reacting in an ‘Ah-ha! See, we are too powerful to be attacked and we are a nation to be heard’ mentality. This would certainly be a driving force in their STRATCOMM machine.

The South Korean government’s message may even be part of its own PSYOP campaign to keep world powers from attacking the DPRK physically, and maintain control through Seoul. ROK television dramas are a free source of PSYOP which are directed to DPRK TV radio wave spectrums unencrypted in an attempt to exploit the type of lifestyle the North civilian population could/should have, but do not because of the DPRK elite control over information, education, and resources. On other occasions South Korean messages seem to support an independent North Korea. For example, a South Korean news organization reported the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) have recommended the North Korean ancient capital city’s relics in Gaeseong from the Goreyo Kingdom as “a place worth international attention and preservation”. The DPRK would love to gain legitimacy for these historic sites through the international community (i.e. UN) because of the historical significance Gaeseong and the Goreyo Kingdom has as a symbol of struggle against external forces and independence. As mentioned previously in this paper, the DPRK and Kim family have been systematically portraying an image of struggle against outside forces (Japan and South Korea through U.S. proxy) and spiritual independence through Juche philosophy.

Public Diplomacy

On the other hand, the DPRK expresses certain information through public diplomacy, eventually submitting to multi-lateral talks with the U.S. and other world leaders in an attempt to ease sanctions on the country and gain access to needed resources. This easing of the country’s aggressive posturing seems to give the image Kim Jong-un can be friendly, diplomatic, and reasonable, a pattern started by his father Kim Jong-il. The DPRK and Kim Jung-un have continued to target both the international community and national perceptions of the state of their nation. Japan, ROK and the U.S., and the UN seem to be the valued international targets for offensive PSYOP; whereas China and Russia may be more of a defensive PSYOP campaign. The DPRK PSYOP seems to focus on maintaining relations with Communist governments such as China and Russia for support, while posturing against Japan, South Korea, and the United States for independence. DPRK PSYOP appears to influence domestic fear by projecting a constant message of imminent invasion by the United States. Typical overt courses of action (COA) North Korea employs against its adversaries include nuclear tests, military exercises, offers for negotiations and cries for foreign aid such as food, and unlimited national and mass media propaganda.

Measure of Performance

Measures of Performance (MOP) are metrics tools which evaluates performance during an event. MOP metrics on DPRK PSYOP may be too illusive to properly identify through open-source intelligence efforts at this time. However, monitoring DPRK news channels such as Korean Central News Agency, Rodong.Rep.KP, Naerana and NK New.org, as well as nationally devoted websites such as Korean Friendship Association are key to measuring the systematic rhetoric and image the Kim family and North Korean government officials seem to wish to project on its audience. For example, these PSYOP channels project positive images within the DPRK while projecting negative images of U.S., South Korea, and Japan. Monitoring other foreign news channels such as The Korean Herald, The Japan Times, and BBC News as well as independent, presumably South Korean websites such as North Korea Leadership Watch does provide an insight as to what the international community perceives and this can be measured against DPRK channels for comparison or differences. North Korean PSYOP must support the overall military objective and have observable endpoints which are measurable.

Measure of Effectiveness

Measures of Effectiveness (MOE) are metrics tools which evaluate the after action endpoints of an event. Any type of accurate and systematic MOE to evaluate DPRK PSYOP has proven extremely difficult given the fact that human behavior is traditionally so unpredictable in these types of evaluations. A MOEs indicator list could include, but may not be limited to, maintaining effective national and international perceptions of secrecy, keeping the Kim family lineage intact, and receiving foreign aid when the DPRK relaxes an aggressive posture. A non-effective MOE indicator list could include the actual international perception of economy and perceived strength of their Army. National perception is difficult to vet since DPRK open-source information all reveal strengths in all the aforementioned indicators. North Korean choice of Juchephilosophy has kept the state isolated from international markets and contributed to its economic decline. Overall, it does appear through reviews of literature and media articles and reports that the North Korean PSYOP campaign does appear to be successful in generally controlling external and internal perceptions through government control.

All Rights Reserved. Views and opinions expressed in are solely those of the author.

Saturday, April 15, 2017

By: R. Kaeru
(Originally published at Techlens, republished on The Information Station with prior permission of the author and site owner.)

Every snowboarder has their preferences when it comes to gear. Most of us want the newest technologies to give us an edge over the competition or improve our personal performance. Some may just prefer to use what they are best comfortable with. Sometimes just simple improvements to an existing favorite piece of gear are the motivator to try something new. There have been a lot of modifications to snowboard boot/bindings over the past two decades, but there is one model which appears to have comeback from the grave: the K2 Kwicker boot/binding system.

Step-in binding systems are great for snowboards for several reasons. They provide easy access to gondola lift lines so you don’t have to sit on your but to un-strap one boot, or unnecessarily strain your board to hop and flex it to move forward on a flat surface. Hopping and flexing boards consistently puts great strain on the board and can compromise the longevity of its durability, especially when you may need it most. Of course, hopping and flexing the board towards a lift line opens you up to hitting someone’s legs or worse, scratching up their gear.

Step-in binding systems are usually low profile because they don’t have a rigid back plate and medusa-like straps hanging off the flat surface of the board. Sure, you could still attach the board to a backpack by flipping the board around so that the top sheet and bindings face out. But the low-profile step-in system allows one to attach the board to the rucksack allowing the base and edge to face out. This is an advantage one needs. Why? Emergencies are the real reasons why step-in systems should be preferred. They offer a quick way out of the binding system to bring an exhausted or injured party down fast. Simply pull up on a lanyard to release one boot or just reach down to release the locking mechanism on one or both boots to free your legs. All you have to do next is position the person to sit or lay on the pack and board, and a partner can drag you down in front or behind them. Of course, if someone is really in bad shape they can lay on top of the board directly over the flat binding system while the rescuer carries the pack.

The K2 Shimano Clicker system was perfect because it was a low-profile step-in binding system that was light weight, very strong, and easy to use. It was perfect for emergencies and sturdy enough to carve the toughest high-angle couloirs. Of course, it offered a simple click-n-go or full lockdown ability with just a twist of the boot lock. K2 Kwicker now offers the same convenience with a modification to its original design. There are some differences in the new design. K2 Kwicker offers a rectangle shape step-in system whereas the K2 Clicker was a round, plate like step-in system. The rectangular design offered by the K2 Kwicker allows these bindings to be specifically put on split-style snowboards, but could easily be mounted on randoneé ski systems as well. K2 Kwicker is mostly made of a high density composite material and the K2 Clicker was constructed of high strength aircraft aluminum. Both the K2 Kwicker and the K2 Clicker predecessor are easy to install and easy to adjust downrange with a #3 Phillips Head screwdriver. Yes, the K2 Kwicker boots and bindings are compatible with K2 Clicker boots (e.g. Yeti) and bindings!

Disclosure:

There was a recall for the original K2 Kwicker and K2 Kwicker BC bindings from sales purchased between October 2013 and December 2013 according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and through the K2 Sports web page. No injuries seemed to have been reported. The author reached out to K2 Sports and was able to confirm that all U.S. purchases of the product between the affected dates were replaced without further incident. Overseas purchases might have to be directed to appropriate subsidiaries for more information. There are no known recalls for the replacement and subsequent K2 Kwicker binding system as of the date of this article.

Author's Notes:

Winter gear needs to be reliable, strong, light, streamlined and low profile. Snowboard gear is no exception. That is exactly what the K2 Shimano Binding/Boot System was all about. I have used the K2 Clicker system all over America and more so throughout the French-Swiss Alps. Most riders I have met seem to prefer the feel of Strap-Binding systems because they tend to make the board a sturdy extension to their bodies. I have heard some argue their attempts to use click-in binding systems have made them feel out of control especially at higher speeds. The majority of people I came across did not, however, try out the K2 Shimano Clicker system when it was around, but did try other brands’ attempts at a ski-like boot click-in system. The K2 Clicker is this step-in binding system that I have been familiar with and still use today.

Many reviews of various step-in snowboard binding systems since the mid 1990’s were moderate at best but the reviews of this now resurrected product seems to have a better overall rating than traditional plate-strap bindings. What I have deduced from all the past reports, friends, and other boarders I have spoken with over the years, is that people prefer to feel that they are physically attached to the snowboard. I think most reviews disregard the Emergency Factor as discussed above. What happens if? Step-in equipment systems like that seen on snowboards, skis, and racing/mountain bikes need a shearing-force design. Equipment that is attached to your body must be capable to separate you from the snowboard, ski, or bike to avoid the equipment dragging you off the path or prevent the rider from getting out of certain danger. What is the danger? Slab avalanche, rock slides, rock falls, and a plethora of other unforeseen accidents. The design of a break-away system is to prevent further injury! Don’t let your binding system be your anchor to certain morbidity or mortality.

Wednesday, February 1, 2017

PART 3. The resulting Cease and Desist issues I experienced with Softlayer.com, a part of IBM.

During the last year of freelance writing, I came across some serious issues that deserve attention. First off, outside of the corporate environment, I noticed that many internet “freelance” writing sites do the bare minimum when it comes to checks and balances. This goes for someone looking for potential work, and it also goes for employers looking to allegedly hire freelancers. In all honesty, it seems as though all you really need in either case is an email address, and a fake profile. Appallingly, the host site itself does not check for W-9 information, or even check for employee/employer identification.

Simply put, though these sites tout their value and belief in protecting both parties, the site does nothing to prevent fraudulent scams, most of which could be easily avoided. I decided to start my own investigation, as I often noticed alternating extremes of “total scam” or “so awesome” when I poked around the internet for opinions.

GURU

The first place I chose to investigate was Guru.com. Guru is a site that has claimed the prized role of offering supposed value for the employer and great opportunities for freelance writers. I signed up with Guru as both a freelancer and an employer. Astoundingly, Guru never checked my identification, it never asked for some sort of government ID or W-9 information up front. As a matter of fact, as an employer, it never checked for any sort of legitimacy when it came to the company or individual looking to do the hiring.

Guru is littered with every kind of freelance “want” ad that you can imagine. For my purpose, I chose the “writing” category, and found myself inundated with hundreds of “jobs” that range anywhere from $2.00 per article (which goes against Guru’s own policy of a minimum amount) to $5,000.00 for supposed work that did not specify actual job parameters. In the course of three (3) months, I applied to approximately 150 job postings, ranging from $5.00 per article to $150.00 “guaranteed” per day.

This is what I found:

“Employers” on Guru, generally tend to post their advertisements with false guarantees of reimbursement. For example, a job post will list itself as worth “$250.00 or more” for “Article Writing”. When you click on the link, the actual description will state that you will be paid $5.00 for 350-500 word articles.

Most of the “employers” that contacted me back had no company name or address on file. As a matter of fact, one of the most glaringly obvious scams was from a person using the nickname “Mercy”. (I will explain in further detail below.)

Out of 150 job postings, I can honestly say that only two legitimate employers contacted me.

It seems as though most of the “employers” looking for writing work are individual people who are either looking to get free work out of writers, or they are trying to get out of writing for their own workplace or school assignments.

Many potential freelance employees on Guru are not in the United States. They seem to influx any advertised job that offers even the most pathetic pay (not to mention illegal in the United States) of “$5.00 for 100 articles that are 400 words or more”. This is literally hours of work for $5.00. Come on, minimum wage rules exist for a reason.

Any job posting that looks for “native” English speakers to cover various “niches” is a scam.

Payments are paid through Paypal. Though Guru.com only seems interested in taking a cut of the pay the freelancer will be earning, they neither care nor require any additional tax paperwork for earnings. Though I have read some opinions from other freelancers to the contrary, I have yet to receive a request for W-9 paperwork. I think the Internal Revenue Service would care a great deal. By the way, for all of you new freelancers out there, you must report all income for the fiscal tax year, so keep good records.

Alarmingly, one prospective employer actually informed me that I was “hired” and would be starting immediately. Then they told me to post my W-9 information and my picture holding my driver’s license up next to my face. NEVER EVER DO THIS. (Read here for the article regarding this issue.) I can see why some freelancers would fall for this scam. But just because you are exchanging messages on Guru.com, it does not mean that you are protected. When I informed Guru.com of this issue, and requested the information of the individual posting this request, Guru.com refused to assist me. As a matter of fact, it was not until I mentioned that I was filing a complaint with the Federal Bureau of Investigation for Internet Fraud, that Guru.com actually agreed to cancel the “employer’s” account. How does this help any freelancer in the future? It does not. As any “employer” can sign up on the site with a different email address.

The “employer” is not required to take down their advertisement even after fulfillment. Which means that the ten free “bids” that a freelancer is given at the beginning of the month to use bidding on jobs is generally a waste of time, effort, and ultimately money. Guru.com requires any extra “bids” for that month be purchased, even though the freelancer was not the one being negligent in false job advertising.

As long as Guru.com gets their share of the earnings, they do not seem to care that there is a massive issue which needs internal restructuring to remedy. They only thing that Guru.com takes seriously is if a prospective employer asks the freelancer to “contact” them outside of the Guru.com site, as this would obviously take away from Guru’s commission. Do not ever think that it is because Guru is trying to protect the freelancer. You will see why below.

"I need to request for a writer who is competent and self minded to produce a unique and original contents within a given time duration.
Thanks in advance."

The Investigation

As I began to sort my way through the list of messages from employers, I decided to test out potential jobs. Like I stated above, only two (2) out of approximately 150 advertisements for jobs were actually legitimate. Though I shied away from a majority of scam offers that came my way, I decided to accept a job to see how far an individual “employer” would go.

Hello there,Let's connect via skype ID:ellymonday75@yahoo.com for more details about the projects.

Sincerely,

Your friends at Guru

I contacted “ellymonday75@yahoo.com” on Skype. The individual then added me to his or her “friends” list and we began a discussion. The person worked under the Skype screen name of “Elvis Monday” and requested that I refer to him/her as “Elvis”.

I was greeted and asked to describe my writing experience. When I wrote out my experience, I was asked how many hours I could work per day. I was never asked for references, a resume, or any sort of W-9 information. When I inquired about pay, “Elvis” informed me that he/she would pay bi-monthly (every 2 weeks) via Paypal or Western Union. “Elvis” then repeated the question of how many hours I could work per day. I informed “Elvis” that I would not start until we ironed out pay. “Elvis” informed me that I would be paid $15.00/per 400 word article. Then he/she repeated the vastly repetitive mantra: “How many hours can you work?” Again, before I answered the question, I told him/her that I would need to be paid more often than every 2 weeks. “Elvis” immediately agreed to a weekly payment.

With all of these wonderful red flags going off, there were some glaring points going off in my head. This was obviously a scam. “Elvis” could barely form a sentence in English. There were several typographical errors, not to mention some serious grammar habits indicating a suspicion that I was messaging with someone in China. Of course, “Elvis” claimed that he/she was in Ohio.

When I asked “Elvis” what company I was working for, he/she informed me that “you work for me”. Of course, the next question was “How many hours can you work?” I informed “Elvis” that I could work from 6:00AM to 12:00PM Central Time, but I would not be able to work holidays. “Elvis” readily agreed to my terms and then asked “When do you start?” As it was 7:00AM, I told him/her that I could start that day. I decided to waste a few hours for the next few days on “Elvis”. “Elvis” informed me that he/she would only ask me for “one 450-500 word article every 2 hours.”

Let the games begin.

“Elvis” always asked the same thing: “You ready?”

On November 23, 2016, “Elvis” copied and pasted the following writing assignment into Skype:

Article purpose: IMPORTANT: This is not a SEO article. Please don&#39;t focus on Keyword density and just write

naturally. Writer MUST be native english speaker.

&quot;&quot;6 Puppy Dog Sweaters That Your Pooch Needs Immediately&quot;&quot; is the title of the article. Please focus on getting

enough information from my ecommerce website (www.thedoggymarket.com) and do some research from other

sources.

Use credible sources and write naturally.

Please list your sources at the bottom of the article.

This first article I&#39;m requesting serves as a test to evaluate whether you&#39;re fit for a long project.

You will be asked to write a short message before writing the article.

Special instructions: The article MUST be unique and original. It will be thoroughly checked for scrapping and spinning.

The goal withthis articles is to persuade readers to buy one of the dog hoodies I sell at

https://www.thedoggymarket.com/dog-hoodie/

The first question plaguing me was where had “Elvis” received this work order? I knew that Guru.com did not offer that particular syntax for project requests. Though I finished the “article” within an hour, I decided to let “Elvis” wait for the two hour period that he had listed. At approximately the 1 hour and 30 minute mark, “Elvis” messaged me: “How is it?”

Two minutes later, he/she messaged me again: “Done yet?”

I decided to contact “Elvis” with ten minutes to spare. But when “Elvis” told me to send the work solely on Skype, I refused. I informed him/her that I preferred to sent it via email, and that any work I did would be sent via email. I also informed “Elvis” that he/she could not use my work unless I was paid. Of course, “Elvis” agreed. I repeated myself again, no consent for use unless I was paid. He/she responded, “Yes.”

I wrote four (4) articles for “Elvis” on November 23, 2016. They were all formatted in the same manner as the first:

Title: Article for travel blog

Category: Travel and Leisure

Keyword: andaman tour package cost

Word count: 500

Time: 2hrs

Project

instructions:

Writing style: Friendly tone

Article purpose: For travel blog

Special instructions: -unique article

-Include title

-Keyword not more than 2-3 times in article

The modus operandi was always the same, he/she would assign me some random topic with certain instructions, and then he/she would contact me at least an hour to an hour and a half into the assignment with “hows it going” or “you done?”

I worked with “Elvis” this way for three days, until November 26, 2016. I produced several pieces for him/her and had yet to see any sort of contract.

While all of this was going on, I also kept up on the activity at Guru.com. There, I found another person posting under the name “Michell”. The advertisement conditions were exactly the same as “Elly Monday’s”, so I decided to apply, briefly wondering if they were one and the same.

“Michell” had a profile picture hosted on Guru.com of Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg. Since Guru.com scarcely acknowledges rampant scams conducted throughout their site, I am not surprised that they do not heed copyright laws for personal privacy.

I got an email on November 28, 2016 from Guru.com:

Hi Gigi,

Below is a message from Michell for Project ID: 1309687, "Article/SEO writer Needed".

Hello,You can connet to me through this skype id "wyatt.collett1"just add and connect to me.We can start anytimeThank youMichell.

Sincerely,

Your friends at Guru

Again, after adding “wyatt.collett1” to Skype, he/she went into the exact same discussion with me. Of course, the biggest question was “When can you start?”

I informed “Wyatt” that I had done work for “Elvis” and had yet to be reimbursed. “Wyatt” magnanimously told me to send him/her the invoice and that he/she would pay it. I had no idea what “Wyatt” was talking about. Why would this person want to pay for work that someone else commissioned?

This was even messier than the scam “Elvis” was running. It was clear that “Wyatt” would say anything to get me to work. I decided to see how far I could push it. I informed “Wyatt” that I wanted to be reimbursed every two (2) days. He/she refused and offered to pay every two (2) weeks. I told him/her I could not do that.

In the meantime, I also contacted “Elvis” and informed him/her that I would need to be paid for the work that I had done and that I would no longer be working for him/her. In the space of five minutes, “Elvis” went from serenely accepting of my words to really telling me a thing or two. When I had first informed “Elvis” that I expected to be reimbursed and I would send him/her an invoice, he/she agreed. Then, still acting quite agreeable, “Elvis” requested that any article “Wyatt” commissioned be sent directly to him/her. I refused.

Five minutes later, “Elvis” had a lot more to say.

“You know I see you have no experence in matter. This job is repitation and youare gettig a bad one. Who is the name you ar working for? I wont pay you he is scammer. You are tricked. When you decide he scam you then comeback and I will take you. I will notpay you until he pays. He is a scam.”

I told “Elvis” that I would no longer work for him/her, but I expected to be reimbursed for my work, if not, I absolutely would not give him permission to use it. This is the response I got:

“No. I will not pay. You brok the agreemet first.”

Indeed.

On the other Skype chat, “Wyatt” was suddenly agreeing to paying every three days. He/she pretty much okayed everything I asked for. I decided to get ridiculous and told “Wyatt” that I would only work when I felt like it, and I would give him/her notice on days I did not feel like it. The response?

“Ok.”

I also informed “Wyatt” that I wanted a minimum of $35.00 per article, up to 350 words. I clearly stated that I would be writing, but did not give consent for use without payment. The response? You guessed it!

“Ok.”

I told “Wyatt” to give me an email address to send him/her the articles he/she wanted. He/she gave me the email address “michellarleen2@gmail.com”. I inquired as to where he/she was located. “Wyatt” informed me that he/she was in Ohio. Strange coincidence. I noticed “Wyatt’s” writing style was similar to that of “Elvis”, the stiff techniques, bad grammar and sentence structure led me to believe that he/she was most likely in China. Since I suspected that “Wyatt” was most likely cut from the same cloth as “Elvis”, I decided to delve a bit further.

This was one of the writing assignments that “Wyatt” posted on Skype:

1. Short introduction, short descriptions of the hairstyles, and a short conclusion.

2. Enumerate the sections describing each hairstyle with such subheadings (words capitalized, spaces between all of the words and numbers, no periods needed): # 1 Hairstyle Name

Article purpose: I need articles about lightning for my sitehttp://warisanlighting.com/The article should bear an informative character.Do headers in textSpecial instructions: no jargon, no bad words, no links, no commercial info (no prices, no places where to buy or order)

And one more:

Project title: The Breakup Doctor Review

Category: Shopping and Product Reviews

Keyword: The Breakup Cure Review

Word count: 300

instructions:

Writing style: Friendly tone

Article purpose: product review

Special instructions: Hello in article please use these words that i defined below. At least one time use these words in article otherwise i cant accept that. Title should be long and different and use our words in that title. Thank youThe Breakup Cure Review, The Breakup Doctor Review

Do these posts look familiar? I suspect that “Wyatt” was getting his/her work orders from the same pool “Elvis” had been dipping his/her greedy fingers into. After a day of writing for “Wyatt”, I saw that he/she was a lot sloppier at keeping tabs on his/her writers. Even if I passed the deadline and waited, “Wyatt” did not bother to contact me. I would have to send the work in and reach out on Skype to await confirmation of receipt.

After covering another pile of random subjects for subpar articles, I decided to call it a day. Contacting “Wyatt”, I informed him that I expected to be paid and sent him an invoice via Skype and email. “Wyatt” did not take long, blocking me on Skype, and failing to respond to my emails. Though I was not able to trace "Wyatt" via Skype interaction, I was able to track "Elvis" based on the IP that was generated when he or she originally emailed me work order transactions early on. The reader should not be surprised that Ohio based "Elvis" was, in fact, shooting emails from China. But hey, what do I know? Maybe there is a place called Ohio in China...

The Results

Though I will not go on tediously about every single writing assignment I covered, or all the jobs and attitudes that I encountered on Guru.com, I can honestly say that Guru.com is in a vast gray area of legalities. My experience is just a tiny fraction of the serious issues associated with this site. Guru.com truly does not care about the freelance writer, privacy, or theft. They blatantly throw their terms and conditions at the user if something illegal happens, but refuses to aid in any sort of resolution for future prevention.

This is why scams abound on Guru.com. Furthermore, as a result of my encounters on Guru.com, and specifically with the two scammers that chose to steal from me, I was able to gain insight as to where the article requests were coming from. And (on average) how much the scammers were making. All of this will be covered in PART 2 of this investigation.

In Conclusion

In conclusion, I would like to state that I did this investigation and subsequent research in order to get the word out there. Information is power, and I am sick of seeing fake reviews about the benefits of sites like Guru.com. If you are trying to get into freelance writing, do yourself a favor and find better jobs. Guru.com is not the place for you. You are better off doing some extra leg-work and searching out online publications and publishers who best fit your writing subject and style. You can always submit your work for review, or even solicit submission guidelines. In the end, you will get what you put into it. If you look for a quick fix, you are doomed to fail... And if it looks too good to be true, it probably is.

LEGAL: The views and experiences enumerated in this article are the sole opinions of the author. No part of this article may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the author.

About Me

I love to read. I am very much an advocate for all those who cannot help themselves. Children and the elderly are at the top of my list. It is our responsibility as a society to help each other and do what is right... Not what is easy. I love my family and I stick to my core beliefs. I respect that everyone comes from a different way of life and I welcome the wide assortment of opinions and thoughts that make up a person's character. Welcome to my corner of the world.